Maryland Flattened By No. 10 Michigan State
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The Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team was handed a rough 81-49 road loss to the No. 10 Michigan Spartans on Saturday afternoon. It was an uninspiring day on both ends of the floor for the Terps, who now fall to 9-11 on the season and 1-8 within the Big Ten conference.
In the first half, Maryland's offense fell flat, with shots not falling and turnovers committed. The dry spell from out the gate allowed Michigan State (18-2, 8-1 Big Ten) to take an early 16-4 lead by the first timeout the Terps used.
Point guard David Coit did provide the Terps with a chunk of the first-half offense, scoring 11 of the 23 points they'd score.
At the 7:14 mark, Elijah Saunders hit a three-pointer to make it 28-18. It would be the closest Maryland would come to cutting into the deficit. However, to finish the half, the Spartans outscored the Terps 16-5, taking a 23-point lead into the break that would guide them to a comfortable second-half finish.
Four out of the five starters for Michigan State finished in double figures, with Jeremy Fears Jr. leading the scoring with 17 points.
Switching to the Maryland side of things, Elijah Saunders led the way with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and hitting 3-of-7 attempts from downtown. It was Saunders's eighth double-digit performance.
Coit finished with 11 points, three assists, three rebounds, and one steal. Solomon Washington was productive as a reserve, scoring eight points, grabbing six rebounds, and dishing out four assists.
Key Team Stats
- Maryland shot 18-of-54 from the floor (33%), 6-of-26 from the three-point line (23%), and 6-of-11 at the free-throw line (55%).
- Michigan State shot 34-of-56 from the field (61%), 9-of-19 from three (47%), and 14-of-19 at the free-throw line (74%).
- The Spartans outrebounded the Terps 35-24.
- Michigan State had 31 fast break points fueled by 11 forced turnovers.
- Maryland was outscored 38-16 in the paint.
What Happened Today?
The lack of offensive production has to be frustrating for head coach Buzz Williams and his staff. Coit is the go-to player that you know can create his own shots, but who else is going to step up outside of him?
Where was the defense at? The defense was out of position on numerous occasions, leading to open shot attempts for the Spartans, highlighted by Fears Jr. dishing out a career-high 17 assists. The Terps' offense sure didn't help them for the baskets that were surrendered on the defensive end.
It's been a frustrating season for a new-look team trying to navigate a competitive Big Ten conference and without their best player, Pharrel Payne, for some time now.
Up Next
The Terps return home next Sunday for another ranked matchup against No. 4 Purdue, with tipoff beginning at 1 p.m.
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Jaden's sports journalism career began at the College of Southern Maryland from 2022-2023, where he was brought in to cover baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball at CSM. In late 2023, he began interning at the University of Maryland Athletics Department as a contributing writer to help develop feature stories and game recaps. He also creates his own sports media content on professional Washington teams with LegacyMaker Sports Network.